Gottlieb jehle



(No Model.)

l @.JEHLE. COIN AGTUATED VENDING'APPARATUS. Y

10.475,567; Patented May 24, 1892.

UNITED STATESv PATENT OFFICE.

GOTTLIEB JEHLE, OF LONG ISLAND CITY, ASSIGN OR TO THE MANHATTAN BRASS COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

COIN-ACTUATED VENDING APPARATUS..

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 475,567, dated May 24, 1892. Apulication filed September 16, 1891. Serial No. 405,834. (No model.)

T0 all whom, t may concern:

Be it known that I, GOTTLIEB JEHLE, a citizen of the United States, residing in Long Island City, in the county of Queens and State ofNewYork,haveinventedanlmprovementin Coin-Actuated Vending Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

At hotels and in drug and stationary stores postage-stamps are frequently provided for the convenience of customers, and the supply of these often involves considerable trouble without any profit. U I

This vending apparatus is primarily 1ntended for the supply of postage-stamps, and it is adapted to hold postage-stamps-such, for instance, as pairs of postage-stamps placed around a holder-so that two two-cent stamps will be delivered when a ve-cent piece is inserted in the coin-slot. Hence the vender is enabled to make a prot of one cent on each two stamps sold, and the apparatus is adapted to keeping the stamps in such a position that the mucilage will not cause such stamps to adhere to the holder, and the apparatus can be opened for the insertion of stamps when the supply is exhausted, and the holder is stopped automatically when the stamps are exhausted and an indication given that the apparatus requires to be refilled.

In the drawings, Figure l 1s an elevation of the holder with the case in section at the line x, Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a sectional plan at the line y y, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detached sectional view of the coin-chute at the line fc', Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a detached sectional View at the line fy, Fig. l; and Fig. 5 is a-perspectrve view showing one of the stamp-holders wlth the projection thereon that forms the automatic stop.

The oase A is preferably circular w1th a hollow base B, which forms a receptacle for the coins, there being an opening at 2 1n the case A for the coins to pass into the hollow base B, and the front C is removable, the same being preferably hinged at 3 to the case A and provided with a locking device at 4 for holding the front closed, and it is to be understood that a padlock or a suitable fastenmg may be provided for securely holding the front or movable portion of the case when the same has been closed.

The stationary arbor D is permanently secured in any desired manner to the case and it is adapted to receive the holding-wheel E, which has a tubular axis 5, surrounding the arbor D, and the wheel itself may be made either in the form of a disk or as a ring with arms; Upon the tubular axis 5 is a ratchet- Wheel F, and there is a spring-pawl 6, (represented by dotted lines in Fig. 1,) which engages the teeth of the ratchet-wheel F to prevent the holding-wheel being turned back- Wardly, and there is a spring-barrel G upon the arbor D, having ratchet-teeth around its edge engaging with a pawl 7 on the holding-wheelE, and within the barrel G is a volute spring fastened at one end to the arbor D and at the other end to the springbarrel, and this spring-barrel gives motion through the pawl to the holding-Wheel E, when the retaining mechanism hereinafter described is liberated, so as to turn the holdingwheel E in the direction of the arrow, Fig. l, and it is to be understood that each time the apparatus receives a fresh supply of stamps the spring-barrel G is given a rotation in the opposite direction to the arrow, Fig. 1, so as to wind up the spring and obtain the necessary movement to give a rotation to the holding-wheel progressively as the stamps are delivered.

Upon the back of the holding-wheel there are as many projections or pins 8 as there are stamp-holders, and these pins S engage theretaining-lever H, which is provided with a finger 9, that engages the pins 8, and there is a spring lO for raising the retaining-lever H, and the strength of this spring is only sufficient to raise the lever H, and when a livecent piece rests upon this lever, as hereinafter described, its weight causes the lever to descend, drawing the finger 9 out of contact with one of the pins 8, so that the wheel E is liberated and partially rotated by the action of the spring in the barrel G.

22 is a stop to limit the downward movemeut of the lever H.

The retaining-lever H is at the lower end of the coin-chute I, by which the five-cent. piece or other coin is directed upon the lever H, and when said lever descends by the weight of the coin the coin rolls out at an opening I3 in the side ofthe slide I and falls through the opening 2 into the hollow base B.

The upper end I of the coin-chute is at an: inclination to the lower portion I, and there is an opening at I2 in the edge of the coinchute opposite to the inclined portion I', within which opening is a pivoted detlecting-lever K on the line, or nearly so, of and opposite to the lower edge of the inclined chute I', and this defiecting-lever receives whatever coin is passed into the chute at the upper end ot' the i coin-chute I', and if a cent or a small coin is placed in such chute its weight is not suin-Y cient to turn the lever K and it rolls over such lever K and falls into the inside of the casewithout `operating the mechanism; but

if the proper coin is placed in the chute it is too large to :roll out at the opening I2 in the edge of the chute and its weight is `sufficient', to swing the lever K into a nearly-verticalupon the edges of the sheet metal, `and the sheet .metal is also cut with tongues 14'and 15, bent down into the position indicatedin the perspective view, Fig. 5, so that there is a slight space between their outer ends and the lips 12 and 13, and these holders are convenv iently connected to the wheel E by the iiange f 16, riveted or soldered to the wheel. The size and shape ot each holder is such that the two connected stamps can be received easily between thetongues 14 and 115 and the sheetmetal base or body of the holder, and the lips 12 and 13 prevent the stamp becoming displaced, and the lip 11 is at the opposite end I of the stamps to the interior of the case A, and the holders are sufficiently near the in` terior of the case A for theends of the stamps to be bent around into the curved position shown in Fig. 1 as they are introduced into the respective holders, so that as the holdingwheel E is revolved the curved end of the stamp is moved forward `against the interior of the circular case A, and this case is smooth,

except where there is a mouth 17 cut therein with an inwardly-projecting lip 18. Hence as the stamps are brought around in succession the advancing end of the stamp passes into the mouth,and in being straightened, or f nearly so, by the lip 18 the end of the stamp l projects, as indicated in Fig. 1, suiciently to be caught by the fingers and drawn out from the holder.

It will now be understood that each time the proper coin is introduced it passes down the coinchute,and its weight upon the retaining-lever H causes such lever to move downwardly and draw the finger 9 away from one of the pins 8, and the spring within the barrel G rotates the holding-wheel. The coin rolling oft the lever H into the hollow base allows the lever H to return to its position and its finger 9 to catch the next pin 8, and during this movement the stampholder L, next to themouth 17, is brought to that mouth and the stamp held by the holder projects at its end through the mouth and can be easily withdrawn by the purchaser.

If theparts before described only were made use of, the holding-wheel might turn after all, the stamps were exhausted. To prevent this, the sheet metal of one of the holders is projected in the form of a spring-lip 19, upon which the word empty may be marked, and the last stamp in the apparatus is presumed to rest on this holder. Hence as the stamp is brought downto position for being withdrawn the sheet metal of the lip 19 stops against the lip 18,and the holding-wheel cannot turn any farther until the case has been opened and the lip 19 sprung inwardly sufficiently `to clear the lip`18, and the holders are to be filled with stamps introduced laterally with their projecting ends curved forwardly, and the apparatus is again ready for use.

I have represented in the front C an opening with a glass at C. 4This allows the interior of the apparatus to be observed; but this glass is not always desirable, especially in places where the apparatus is not under the care of an attendant, because the interiorconstruction might be observed vand. an elort made to tamper with the apparatus by means of a wire or otherwise; and in order to allow for ascertaining the number of stamps that remain in the apparatus, especially if the `glass C is dispensed with, I provide a suitable dial with numbers thereon corresponding to the number of the stamp-holders L. This dial may be applied in any convenient manner upon the wheel H. I have represented such wheel H as having a cylindrical dange 20, and upon this ange numbers may be placed opposite to the respective stampholders, and there may be an yopening at 21 with a glass, by which to observe the number upon the i'lange of the holding-wheel, and this opening and glass I have shown as adjacent to the mouth 17; but it may be placed in any convenient portion of the apparatus.

I claim as my invention- 1. The combination, in a coin-actuated vending apparatus, of a wheel, a springtoactuate `the same, a retaining-lever and coin-chute for causing the wheel to be liberated by t-he coin, a series of holders upon the whee1,each adapt-ed to receive a stamp or similar article, and an inclosing case, against which the ends of the stamps or similar articles are in contact and IOO bent forwardly, there being a slot through the ease with a lip at the opposite edge t0 the stamp, so that the end thereof Will pass through the opening by coming into Contact with the lip, substantially as specified.

2. The combination, With an inelosing oase having an opening and alip at one side, of a wheel, a spring to aetuate the saine, a retainin g-lever and coin-chute for causing the Wheel to be liberated by the coin, and a series of holders upon the Wheel, each adapted to receive a stamp or similar article, with its projecting end against the interior of the case, so as to be presented through the opening by the end coming into contact With the lip, and a iiange upon the Wheel to arrest the Wheel GOTTLIEB JEHLE.

Witnesses:

W. H. BIRTWHISTLE, J As. D. HENDERSON. 

